Process for producing laundry starch.



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No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it lmown thatl, SAMUEL B. CHAM- BERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Process. for Producing Laundry tarch, of which the following is a specification.

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The basis or principal ingredient for the starch produced by the present invention is the present well known form of starch producedifrom maize or Indian corn, and may be either of the form known tothe trade as pearl corn starch, or powdered corn starch. lhis should be distinguished from the product known as corn starch which is especially prepared for table use, the form of starch used for the steps of this invention being the starch as it is extracted from the corn by methods well known in the art before it subjected to treatmentpreparingit for Etc special purposes.

in carrying out the process of this invention, the pearl or powdered starchis placed in an agitator or stirrer, and to this starch .is added substantially pure borax (sodium borate) in the proportion of fifteen ounces borax to one-hundred pounds of starch. At the same time in a separate receptacle water is placed to an amount equal to approxi-f mately nay per cent. by weight of the amount of starch used, a Working formula being sin gallons or forty-eight pounds of water to each one-hundred pounds of starch. To this water is added chemically pure nitric acid, and for best results this acid should be suficiently pure to show a specific gravity of one and forty-two one-hundredths (1.42) the proportion of acid used is preterably six ounces of acid for each one-hundred pounds of starch. After theborax and starch have been thoroughly'mixed together in the agitator and the acid rnixed with the water, the water is permitted to flow into agitator through a pipe or spray while lSpecification of Letters Patent.

the agitator continues to operate, the mixing process being continued until the water and acid are thoroughly mixed with the starch and borax. After the mixing is complete, the resulting substance is permitted to stand from twenty-four to forty-eight hours, depending upon temperature and weather conditions, to permit the proper action of the ingredients upon one another, the process being known as curing. The length of time required for this curing process will be Patented Aug. 2?, fluid. Application filed December It, 1916. Serial No. 184,432.

shorter in warm weather than it is in cold,

and during this period the mixture should be stirred or agitated at least once every twenty-four hours, and it the weather is Warm, it should be stirred twice in twentyfour hours. This stirring prevents overheating due to fermentation. The amount or" water in the mixture is not sufficient to make it liquid or semi-liquid during this curing process, but the consistency is such thatii a quantity of the mixture be com pressed in the hand it will not easily term a ball, but the amount compressed will fall apart to some extent and appear somewhat mea ly in its nature.

After the curing process, the substance is dried either in a drier in which the subtance is agitated during drying, or in a drier in whichthe substance is allowed to remain stationary and subject to currents of air or vacuum treatment. The well known forms of driers used in starch manufacture at the present time may be used for this purpose. During the drying process the temperature for best results should not be raised above 155 Fahrenheit, and may be as low as 130 Fahrenheit. it, however, it is de-' sired to produce a thinner boiling starch'ior i other purposes, such as a sizing starch, a temperature greater than 155 may be used and the advantages or" the other steps of the process will still be secured. ZChe drying process is continued until the moisture is removed and the resulting substance is in the form of dry powder.

It has been to this process is of far superior quality to any or the starches previously known. One characteristic oi this starch is its ability to penetrate into every fiber of the fabric to which it is applied. A second characteristic the fabric and the absence of any tindency to breaking or era/slung,

found by repeated eirperi-' ments that laundry starch made according is the pliability and toughness imparted to I ing the mixture by evaporation.

21. The process of treating starch com prising the steps of subjecting a mixture of starch and sodium borate to a solution of acid in water permitting the mixture thus formed to stand for curing and subsequently \drying the mixture by evaporation, the temperature at all times during the process being kept below 155 Fahrenheit. I

22. The process of treating starch comprising the steps of first mixing the starch with powdered borax, then thoroughly mixing with the substance thus formed a solution of acid in water the proportion of liquid being sufiicient to form a moist butnot a saturated mixture and thereafter drying the mixture by evaporation, the temperature at all times during the process being kept below 155 Fahrenheit.

23. The process of treating starch comprising the steps of first mixing the starch with powdered borax, then thoroughly mixing with the substance thus formed a solution of acid in water the proportion of liquid being sufiicient to form a moist but not a saturated mixture, permitting the liquid thus formed to stand for curing and finally drying the mixture by evaporation, the temperature at all times during the process being kept below 155 Fahrenheit.

24. The process of producing laundry starch which consists in adding to substan tially dry starch in the. form in which it is derived from Indian corn for commercial use, and known to the trade as pearl or powdered starch, powdered borax in the proportion of fifteen ounces of borax to onehundred pounds of starch; mixing the two together; adding to the mixture a solution of nitric acid in Water, in the proportion of six ounces of acid and six gallons of Water to one hundred pounds of starch; mixing the starch, borax, acid and water; permitting the mixture to cure for a period of from twenty-four to forty-eight hours during which time it is stirred at intervals to prevent excessive heating; and finally drying the mixture at a temperature of from 130 to 155 Fahrenheit.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

SAMUEL B. CHAMBERS. 

